For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39; NRSV)

So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. (1 John 4:16; NRSV)

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Love

Love is central to the Christian faith. Children in Sunday School are taught from an early age that "God is love." We sing songs about the importance of love in our faith, such as "Jesus Loves Me," "Love Came Down at Christmas," and "They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love." We learn scriptures such as John 3:16 that tell us of God’s love: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…" We study the famous "love" chapter from 1 Corinthians: "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never ends….Faith, hope, and love abide. But the greatest of these is love."

The word "love" occurs over three hundred times in the Bible, describing God’s love for people, exclaiming our love for God, or calling people to love one another. As Christians, we know that God’s love and grace extend to all.

Love is a powerful reason why many United Methodists work for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and their families in the life of the church. Faithful United Methodists choose to stand on the side of love and strive to make the church a place where all are included, welcomed, and loved. This means ensuring that words, activities, customs, practices, and policies all reflect love toward the LGBT people in our midst because God’s love and grace are extended to everyone.

"Someone at church said to me, ‘When it comes to homosexuality, we love the sinner, but hate the sin.’ When I heard this, I did not feel loved; I felt like I was being judged and pushed away. I’m a Christian and I also happen to be gay—I felt like I was being forced to choose between being part of the church that I love so much and being who God made me to be."

Love must be an integral part of the fabric of our daily lives as Christians and must also be the foundation and practice of the daily life of our church community.

Questions for Reflection or Discussion (call or text a friend)

  1. How does my church respond to the biblical imperative to love and, specifically, to love LGBT people and their families?
  2. In what ways do LGBT people regularly fall outside the circle of love in my congregation?
  3. What could I do to include LGBT people and their families and demonstrate God’s love in my church?

"What I’ve discovered is that if you find a church where people truly love God and they also love one another, things will work out. Even though there are the differences of opinion around issues of sexual orientation and gender identity, the message behind it all—love—is still there and shines through. You can see it in their actions and hear it in their words."

"I have yet to comprehend love, or grace, or creation. Why should I think I should be able to comprehend sexual orientation?" (Ray W. Chamberlain, United Methodist Bishop)

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